The WRC recommended that a county council offer a worker €1,000 over delays in investigating his bullying complaint. In a recommendation dated 15 October 2019, adjudication officer Gaye Cunningham said a serious near-miss allegation should have prompted swift action. The worker and SIPTU had sought an investigation since May 2017; the delay was unacceptable, though not entirely management’s fault.
The worker said the council failed to address his complaint and moved him to another area. The council said it had appointed an internal investigator, but the process did not begin before he went on sick leave, and it received no response when he was asked to contact HR after returning. It denied linking his reassignment to his complaint.
The WRC recommended that the council communicate the grievance outcome, appoint an investigator on terms agreed with SIPTU, and keep the worker’s request to return to his former area under review. The recommendation did not determine whether he had been bullied.